Food Certification Marks

Food Certification Marks

Earn trust on-pack. Prove compliance end-to-end.
BQCIS helps brands, manufacturers, and importers secure and maintain food certification marks across South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and North America—with on-site verification, lab testing, supply-chain checks, and QR-secured evidence packs you can share with buyers, marketplaces, and regulators.

Executive snapshot

Choose marks that move buyers: food safety, dietary/religious, origin/quality, sustainability, and special-diet seals.
Get audit-ready: close process gaps, align labels/artwork, and verify inputs and sites.
Prove every claim: certificates, chain-of-custody, test results, and approvals—bundled into a single QR link.
Stay compliant across regions: keep language, logo rules, and re-audit schedules straight for each market.

What counts as a “certification mark” (and what doesn’t)

Certification marks are controlled by scheme owners. Use requires scope approval, periodic audits, and strict artwork rules (size, color, registration ID, attribution).
General claims (e.g., “natural,” “clean label”) are not certification marks; they still require substantiation but have no licensed logo owner.
Retailer/marketplace programs may mandate specific third-party schemes before they list or approve your product.

BQCIS prepares you and coordinates with accredited certification bodies where required. We are an independent third party; we don’t issue owners’ marks ourselves.

Families of food certification marks (quick map)

A) Food Safety & Quality (systems; often GFSI-benchmarked)

BRCGS Food, FSSC 22000, SQF, IFS Food
What it proves: a certified food safety management system, HACCP/PRPs, traceability, and site hygiene.
What you’ll need: implemented FSMS, internal audits, CCP validation, allergen & supplier controls, successful external audit.

B) Organic & Input Integrity

USDA Organic, EU Organic (Euro-leaf), regional organic schemes
What it proves: certified organic production/handling; strict input restrictions and certified chain-of-custody.
Needs: certification scope (sites, products), supplier organic certificates, transaction/traceability docs, approved artwork.

C) Non-GMO & Special Ingredients

Non-GMO Project, regional non-GMO seals
Needs: ingredient verification, segregation, PCR test plans where required, facility controls, logo approval.

D) Religious & Dietary

Halal (recognized Islamic certification bodies), Kosher (recognized agencies), Vegetarian/Vegan (e.g., V-Label/Vegan Society)
Needs: authorized certifier, ingredient/processing review, dedicated or validated clean-down, site surveillance; specific logo files and phrasing per owner.

E) Allergen & Special-Diet Claims

Gluten-Free (e.g., GFCO/recognized celiac orgs)
Needs: validated gluten control plan, supplier attestations, periodic product testing, cross-contact prevention.

F) Sustainability & Ethics (ingredients & farming/fishing)

Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Certified Humane/Global Animal Partnership, RSPO (palm), MSC/ASC(wild/farmed seafood)
Needs: Chain-of-Custody (CoC) for claim continuity, farm/fishery or supply-chain certification, volume reconciliation, and specific on-pack wording.

G) Origin & Geographical Indications

PDO/PGI/TSG (Europe) and national Denomination of Origin programs in the Americas and Asia
Needs: origin controls, specification compliance, authorized control body sign-off, and registered names/artwork usage.

Regional view (plain language)

North America: GFSI schemes widely required by retailers; USDA Organic, Non-GMO, Halal/Kosher, Gluten-Free, MSC/ASC common; bilingual/market labeling rules by country.
Europe: GFSI schemes common; strong uptake of EU Organic, PDO/PGI/TSG, Rainforest Alliance, MSC/ASC; multilingual packaging rules; specific font/size for some marks.
Asia: Rapid growth in Halal, JAS/JIS-based organics (Japan), regional organic schemes, GFSI for export plants.
South America / Central America / Caribbean: Mix of national organics, GFSI for export, Halal/Kosher for targeted markets, and sustainability marks for coffee/cocoa/seafood lanes.

How BQCIS helps (end-to-end)

Mark strategy & scoping
Pick marks that matter to your buyers and regions. Define product/site scope and time to certify.
Gap assessment & remediation
HACCP/FSMS, allergen, sanitation, pest, supplier approval, CoC setup, training & records.
Supply-chain & ingredient verification
Map inputs to certificates (organic/RSPO/Fairtrade, etc.), set transaction certificate flow, and verify mass balance.
Lab testing where needed
Gluten (ppm), allergen swabs, micro/chem panels, residue screens, DNA/PCR (as applicable).
Artwork & claims review
Check logo files, size/clear space, color codes, registration IDs, mandatory phrases, and disclaimers per mark owner.
External certification coordination
Prepare documentation and book audits with the appropriate accredited body (owner or approved CB). We escort and close out non-conformities.
Digital proof
Issue a QR-secured compliance pack: certificates, CoC/transactions, test results, audit reports, approved artwork, and version history.
Surveillance & renewals
Calendar monitoring, mock audits, supplier updates, and quick reaction to spec or label changes.

Two-column snapshot: What we do vs. What you get

What we do

Gap analysis & audit prep
Supplier/CoC setup
Test plans (gluten, allergens, DNA, residues)
Label/artwork compliance review
External CB coordination
Non-conformity (CAPA) coaching
Digital QR evidence pack

What you get

Certification(s) achieved or renewed
Approved on-pack artwork
CoC trail (inputs → finished goods)
Lab reports tied to lots/SKUs
Audit report & CAPA register
Buyer/marketplace submission pack
Live QR link for stakeholders

Artwork & label checklist (copy/paste)

Correct logo file from the owner (vector preferred)
Minimum size and clear space respected
Color codes (or allowed mono/black)
Registration/License ID, site ID, or scope phrase shown if required
Approved claim wording (e.g., “Made with X% Certified …”)
Translations matched to owner’s style guide
Label proof signed by an authorized reviewer (keep the email/portal approval in your QR pack)

Evidence menu (what typically backs each mark)

Food safety (GFSI): certificate, audit report summary, NCR/CAPA closures, training & validation records.
Organic: current certificate(s), product listing, transaction certificates, supplier organic docs, CoC flow.
Non-GMO: ingredient attestations, PCR testing (where applicable), segregation SOPs.
Halal/Kosher: certifier’s scope letter, authorized ingredients list, change-control records, surveillance dates.
Gluten-Free: finished product testing plan/results, allergen risk assessment, sanitation validation.
Sustainability (RA/Fairtrade/RSPO/MSC/ASC): supply-chain certification(s), mass-balance or segregatedrecords, artwork approvals, volume reconciliation.
Origin/GIs: control body attestations, lot origin proofs, specification conformance.

Playbooks (ready to run)

A) New SKU with Organic + Non-GMO + Gluten-Free

Map ingredients → collect organic & non-GMO certificates → design PCR & gluten panels.
Validate FSMS & allergen controls → pilot run + testing.
Artwork approval by each owner → launch with QR pack showing certs, tests, and approvals.

B) Private-label GFSI + Halal

Readiness audit on co-packer → close gaps → book Halal agency & GFSI audit.
Ingredient/clean-down review → surveillance calendar.
QR evidence: certificates, ingredient approvals, label sign-offs.

C) Coffee/Cocoa Sustainability (Europe + North America)

Producer/exporter CoC mapping → volume reconciliation process.
Rainforest Alliance/Fairtrade certificate(s) + transaction docs → artwork checks.
QR pack linked on spec sheets and retailer portals.

D) Seafood with MSC/ASC

Verify fishery/farm + supply-chain certs → establish CoC at packer/distributor.
Label wording rules (“Contains MSC certified …”) + claims placement.
QR pack: cert IDs, CoC links, volume reconciliations.

KPIs we track & show

Audit pass rate and finding severity trend
On-time renewals (%) and surveillance due alerts
Label rework rate (pre-press)
Supplier coverage (% with current certs)
Test conformance (%) by panel (gluten, allergens, micro/chem)
QR verification usage (scans, unique viewers, downloads)

Data model (plain language for your team)

Entities

Mark owner/scheme • Certificate (id, scope, issue/expiry, sites/skus) • Audit (date, CB, findings) • CoC transaction • Product/SKU • Supplier/ingredient • Test result • Artwork approval • QR link (versioned)

Key fields
mark_id • license_id • scope_text • site_id • sku_list • issue_at/expire_at • cert_body • audit_grade • finding_count/severity • test_value/unit/method • transaction_id • approval_reference • verify_url

Governance & renewals

Keep one calendar for all marks (surveillance windows differ).
Re-approve artwork when scope, owner rules, or translation changes.
Lock label changes behind change-control with QA/Regulatory sign-off.
Keep superseded certificates viewable (watermarked) in your QR history—transparency wins disputes.

Micro-FAQ

Can we print logos before certification?
No. Most owners forbid pre-use; some allow “application pending” language without logos—check the rulebook.

Do we need product testing if our site is certified?
Often yes—especially for gluten-free, allergens, or claims like non-GMO. System certification and product claims are different.

Can we use one mark globally?
Sometimes. But artwork rules, languages, and legal text vary by region—configure packs per destination.

What happens if we switch suppliers?
Re-verify inputs and CoC. Many owners require updated documentation before you keep using the mark.